There are many situations in which it is desirable to provide buoyancy to a person or an object. In particular, secure buoyancy is paramount to confidence and survival in swimming. Weak swimmers, or those learning to swim may use buoyancy aids to assist them in swimming and buoyancy aids can save the lives of those in difficulty in water.
Prior art buoyancy aids rely on inflatable devices such as armband, which grip as they are inflated, or solid foam rings, which are placed over the arms and grip by virtue of a soft collar. Other flotation systems may incorporate foam-filled jackets, inflated harnesses, or a more conventional solid flotation typical of life belts seen by most areas of water considered to be hazardous.
One problem faced by the person or object being supported is that swimmers and wet objects are slippery and, to give effective buoyancy, the device must not deflate, come off or move position. Inflatable devices only tend to grip securely when they are fully inflated, so air leaks are a serious threat to their function. Further, inflatable buoyancy aids must be inflated before use so valuable time may be lost in an emergency situation in deploying the device. Solid foam devices must fit securely to be of any use. In particular, in the case of babies, infants and small children, the foam-filled jackets that are used are often too easily pulled over the person in them unless they fit snugly. Inflatable harnesses are also often unsafe since they can easily upturn, leaving the person upside-down, face down in the water.
The time taken for a weak swimmer or a swimmer in difficulty to panic, especially in a watery environment, is short and the situation can rapidly deteriorate, producing a potentially avoidable disaster.